


A Summer of Isolation

by Deathstrokestea



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 01:23:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4941295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deathstrokestea/pseuds/Deathstrokestea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader and the rest of the gang take a trip to the lodge during summer vacation, it's the first time the reader has taken a holiday with their friends. But when things become a little messy with Mike and Josh, what will the reader do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summer of Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> So I thought I'd do a detailed, extended Josh/Reader fic and someone wanted a bit of Mike drama so I'm including that. I also wanted to have a fic which gave the reader relationships with each of the characters as I thought that'd be nice. This chapter is a little slow as its one I've used to establish relationships with characters, the next chapter will be more fluffy and dramatic and fun I promise! I'm going to be releasing this in chapters and will try my best to finish it but be patient! 
> 
> I've tried my best to make the reader character pretty gender ambiguous, however in my head the reader is female and so if it sways towards a female character I'm sorry!
> 
> Have fun reading!

**2:51pm**

It's was roughly 2:50pm and you had just gotten off your bus to meet the others at the cable car station between 2:00 and 2:30; you were a bit late. 

Your soft (Y/HC) hair was down and you wore an NYPD baseball cap over it to keep your scalp cool and your face sun free. You were wearing your favourite pair of shorts with a white vest top, and a pair of doc martins that you'd had for a couple of years for a casual look. 

It was summer vacation and you couldn't wait to spend the next couple of weeks away with your friends for the first time at the Washington's lodge on Blackwood Mountain. You had been up there a couple of winters ago after Beth had invited you, but your mother came with you and it was only for a week, so this time you were going to make the most of your newfound freedom. 

You'd known the Washington's since you were in middle school, it's where you met Beth. You guys hit it off really quickly and formed a really strong bond, even though you're less close with her now than you were. She used to invite you back to her house all the time which is where you met her siblings. 

You'd known Hannah from a few classes you were in together, however you'd never spoken to her before because she was so quiet, but after you started to talk to her at her house you guys found that you had a lot in common and you even started speaking more in school. You'd been snapchatting her updates the entire drive to the mountain; you guys were really good friends. 

It's also where you met Josh, you'd seen him around school but never spoken to him since he was a grade above you. At first you'd only talk a bit when you went to their house but after a while you guys started to text. 

A lot. 

You became really close and you'd think of him as one of your best friends. He's always been there for you when you needed cheering up, yet only very recently had you started to develop feelings for him which confused you and made you sort of uncomfortable, but you wouldn't let that get in the way of a good time with your friends. 

The bus drove away behind you and you turned around to face Sam and Matt who had gotten the bus with you. 

Sam was your best friend, no doubt about it. Ever since elementary school you were like two peas in a pod. The rest of the group envy you're all loving relationship (except Chris and Josh who just say you're the 'lamer girl versions' of them), especially since you both go on cute friend dates together at least once a month. She was wearing her hair up in a loose bun and that stupid vest that she had bought from some hippie festival she dragged you to for a week in freshmen year.

You and Matt had an unusual relationship. Online, Matt would always message you for advice on personal things like dating and pressures at school (since he goes to a different school than the rest of the gang; one more suited to his athletic tastes) and you would talk at least once every two days. You acted as a kind of therapist at times, you loved how safe he felt talking to you but at the same time it could get kind of repetitive and tedious, but you cared about him none the less. However, despite his constant presence online with you, you rarely talked in the real world and the extended conversations with him were minimal. He was wearing his signature designer letter jacket over a gray vest and a pair of gray knee length shorts. 

Sam put her arm around your shoulder and kissed you on the cheek.  
"Are you excited about this whole mountain of youthful freedom?" She said teasingly as she gestured towards the woods in front of you.  
"Just tell me if you get homesick whilst you're away from Mommy and Daddy." She cooed with a smirk. You pushed her to the side playfully and laughed.  
"You mean like you when we were at Polly Hammonds birthday sleepover in 8th grade? I can't believe you cried, it was 5 minutes away from your house!" You taunted, laughing as you all started to walk to the cable car station. Sam's face dropped with embarrassment and she started to blush. Matt didn't know that, you looked behind you to see him smiling to himself.  
"Shut up, (Y/N)..." Sam hissed in a lowered voice, her words blanketed in shame. 

You could see the station just ahead, as well as Jess running towards you all. She ran into you first, hugging at the point of collision and squeezing you tightly as she did. Jess was another one of your best friends, you guys just clicked and were always the life of parties, you knew there definitely wasn't a party unless you two were invited. Your personalities complimented each other's so well and you found there was never a dull moment with her, which is probably why you adored each other. Her short blond hair was in high pigtails and she wore denim booty shorts with a Lacey white cropped top. 

"(Y/N)! Oh my god you guys took forever! What happened?" Jess asked as she pulled away from you and went to hug Matt.  
"The bus took forever to come, then there was some asshole at this one stop refusing to pay his fare, it was stupid." Matt replied as he encased Jess in his arms and released her as she headed towards Sam.  
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting." Sam said considerately as she hugged Jess and let her go. You all started to walk towards the station, it was only a minute away.  
"Josh, Beth, and Hannah all went back to the lodge, so it's just me, Em and Mike up there now, I've been third wheeling for like 20 minutes! They need to, as Josh would say, go to the bone zone already." Jess explained. Your heart dropped as she mentioned Mike. 

You two had dated only a few months prior but it was nothing serious, which was kinda the problem. It had been 4 months and Mike still hadn't made any kind of indication that he wanted you guys to be long term, or to expand the opportunities of the relationship past just those of a physical nature. You broke up with him, it wasn't anything too rough and you explained why you were breaking up to him, and it had been awkward ever since. Now it seems he'd moved on and had started to charm Emily. 

You and Em were probably the least close out of all of your group. You guys could tolerate each other but when you got into fights they got really catty and she would often refuse to go out anywhere with the gang if you were there too. Right now you two were on neutral ground and could stand to talk to each other, but when you and Mike were dating she resented you a lot, and those scars were still there, if fading. 

You had arrived at the station and the group exchanged pleasantries.  
"Hey, (Y/N)." Said Emily as you approached her and Mike who were sat on a bench outside the station.  
"Hi, Em." You replied grittily, as she stood up forcing a smile. She drew you into a loose hug, one only meant as a show of good sportsmanship, and let you go as Matt came over. Em walked over to ask him for help carrying her bags. She was wearing some designer sundress that she would inevitably tell everyone about, and had expensive jewellery around her neck and wrists. 

"Hey." Mike forced, You looked to see him smiling sheepishly at you. He was wearing a white vest, like you, and a pair of worn down jeans, with a tartan shirt tied around his waist. He opened his arms and grinned.  
"Can I get some sugar too?" He said playfully in an attempt to lighten the mood, he'd always rely on his sense on humour in situations he wasn't comfortable in or when things made him confused. You complied reluctantly and hugged him, even though he remained seated and it was a very awkward endeavour. You felt the eyes of the group all staring at you two somewhat pitifully and you let go. 

"Where's Chris and Ash?" Asked Matt in order to sway the attention towards something else. You turned to see Jess giggling as Emily smirked smugly, self-admiration beaming from every inch of her face.  
"Josh told them to meet at 4 at the station so they could have some aloooone time, it was my idea." Emily announced.  
"Aww. That's a little cruel." Sam said as she tried to fight back the smile that crept onto her face.  
"God knows they need the extra help. Chris'll thank us later." Jess defended as she walked over to the door of the station.  
"Now let's go! I'm getting bored!"  
She opened the door and walked in before pressing the button on the control panel to call over the cable car. 

You had all gotten on, Matt sat between you and Emily on one side as Sam sat opposite you and next to Jess, with Mike opposite Emily on the other. Emily and Mike flirted for the entire ride, and the rest of you talked as a group about how exciting this trip would be, and how you all couldn't wait to spend time together. 

You looked out of the window at the mountains, each rock covered in bright green forests, cable cars connecting each one together like a spider web. The sun was high and beautiful in the sky, like a golden nugget submerged in an aqua lake. There were no clouds, it was as clear as day up here and you couldn't wait to see the night when all the stars, free from light pollution, would illuminate the sky. You could stare at them all night. 

 

**3:23pm**

You had all arrived at the front of the lodge and Sam knocked on the huge door the lay before you all. Matt had gracefully carried Emily's bags for her, you had offered to help but he insisted he could do it for her on his own. Mike had two duffle bags, one on each arm. One rattled as he walked and you'd figured he'd must've stuffed one full of beer, vodka and other spirits. Matt also had a duffle bag but only one, and it seemed he had only packed the essentials and trusted the Washingtons to provide the rest. The rest of you had large backpacks, Sam was used to backpacking everywhere and the walk up to the lodge from the station has been a breeze for her, but you and Jess had been a little out of breath by the time you arrived. Jess pulled out a bottle of water and offered you a sip, to which you happily accepted. 

Hannah answered the door and jumped at Sam, hugging her tightly. Sam was definitely Hannah's best friend, you'd sometimes get a bit jealous of how close they were but you and Sam knew you were both each other's bestest friends, which provided you with some comfort. She was wearing jeans and some converse with a stripy purple T-Shirt, she also had her locket on, but she would always wear it. 

 

"Hey, everyone. Come in." Hannah said nervously as she came over to hug you. She let you go and You followed in after the rest of the gang into the lodges main room. 

It was huge yet cozy, it had an open tall roof style thing going on with a grand staircase in the centre, and behind that was a staircase to the basement. The couches were positioned around a fire place that was usually used by the Washingtons during the winter, with a plasma TV further down the wall. 

Beth walked in from the kitchen with a glass of orange juice in her hand. She was wearing play suit dungarees and a black and white stripy cropped top underneath. She smiled when she saw everyone.  
"Hey you guys finally got here!" She cheerfully exclaimed.  
"Josh! Get your ass downstairs! The others are here!" She yelled. 

You turned towards the stairs and saw Josh jogging down one of the balconies to the top of the stairs.  
"I'm coming!" He yelled and stopped at the top of the stairs when he began to walk down, a wide yet lazy grin overpowered his mouth and he walked down.  
"Sup, sexy people." He said with a chuckle. He looked pretty hot and you felt really uncomfortable admitting that to yourself. He was wearing sandals and knee length shorts, but it was the opened button down shirt that had gotten to you. His sleeves were rolled up just past his elbows which showed off his glorious forearms that tensed in different places as he moved, and his slender yet toned torso was gleaming a little, his hair was wet so you guessed that he had just taken a quick shower. 

He reached the bottom of the steps and lifted his arms into the air as he shouted,  
"Who's ready to party like fucking porn stars?!" With that self satisfied grin that killed you. 

You were totally fucked.


	2. Hey, Batter Batter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been trying to write a little bit every day and so I'm gonna try to keep shooting chapters at you! I'm not TOO happy with this one, but I suppose it's another "setting the scene" thing. Anyhow, the next ones gonna be a lot more juicy so keep reading. Enjoy!

**3:32pm**

Josh had offered to help you and Jess carry your bags to your rooms, you had both just left Jess when you two were walking down the corridors to the next guest room.

"So how're you liking the mountain during the summer?" He asked you to break the comfortable silence.  
"It's pretty and all but you could really do with some cell towers up here or something. Chris is gonna freak." You answered teasingly, playfully elbowing his arm with a smirk.  
"Well if either you or Chris has a spare million lying around, I'd be happy to have one ordered." He replied wittily. You two just clicked, never was there a dull moment, even when you were quiet you were just happy in each other's company. 

You stopped as you walked past a bookcase with a trophy on, it caught your eye and you turned to pick it up. 

"WINNER  
Best Horror Film 2009  
Dir. Bob Washington  
_'Blood Monastery'_ "

You were impressed by this, Bob never bragged about any of his work and you never knew that he won an award like this. You turned to Josh who wasn't looking, he seemed disinterested.  
"Hey, this is pretty cool." You commented, handing him the award. He took it off you and looked at it.  
"Yeah, it's cool." He said half heartedly, only trying to seem polite, before returning it to its place.  
"Come on, Nosey, your room's just here." He said as he started to walk towards a room at the end of the hall. 

He opened the door and you were stunned. It was so beautiful for a guest room. It was relatively small but you didn't need anything big. The walls were a pure white and a double bed lay perfectly centred against the west side. It was covered in fresh, white linen sheets and had a blanket laying over the end, covered in beautiful Aztec style patterns. Above the bed was a Native American painting of a man you presumed was some sort of tribal Chief, which made the room feel warm and safe. On the south wall was a large wooden wardrobe that covered the wall almost entirely had the door not been there, and opposite was a large window with heavy curtains that matched the blanket on the bed. On each side of the bed was a small wooden side table and at the end lay a huge chest that contained clean blankets. The room had a potent smell of fresh linen and lavender, the twins must've put air fresheners in each of the rooms, and it was already starting to make you feel sleepy. 

Josh placed your backpack at the foot of the bed and walked over to the window, opening it.  
"All this for me? You shouldn't have..." You said, trying to mask your awe. Josh laughed and walked back over to you bringing you into a hug. You could feel his bare body against your barely covered chest.  
"Wouldn't have anything less for one of my bestest buddies." He kissed the top of your head and you felt yourself blushing, thankfully he didn't notice as he let go.  
"Need any help unpacking?" He asked, glancing towards your backpack.  
"Why? A chance to route through my underwear?" You joked, this time he was the one blushing, he quickly regained face and rolled his eyes.  
"You just let me know if you need anything." He said with a wink and left, shutting the door behind him. 

You smiled to yourself, he was so stupid and you didn't understand the attraction you had towards the dork, you cursed Mike under your breath for making you feel this way about Josh as you lay back on your bed. If you were going to like Josh then you were going to do it right, no more shame, no more confusion, you liked Josh and it made you happy. He made you happy. 

 

**4:17pm**

You had just left Jess' room after helping her unpack when you heard a knock at the door. Curious you leant over the bannister to see who it was as Beth answered the door. In came an angry Chris and a confused Ash.

Chris was like a big brother to you, you knew you could never feel anything romantic towards him, you two just didn't work like that. You met him through Josh and ever since you met you've always had a very playful, teasing relationship; sure you can both go a little too far sometimes but you know that you'd never intentionally hurt each other. He was there for you when Sam couldn't be, or if you needed more than one opinion on something, no delay time from the minute you send the message to the second he reads it. The only thing you're afraid about is invading his territory with Josh, because everyone knows nothing can get in the way of their 'bromance'. Today he sported a not so flattering green bucket hat, soft green shorts to match, and a red vest. 

Ash, on the other hand, you think of as a kind of little sister. Not like Josh is with Hannah and Beth though, you're not that close, but you can't help yourself feeling the need to constantly protect her from harm and douchey boys (that's why you always do what you can to get her and Chris talking), plus she can get pretty embarrassed for you at parties when you get a bit... messy, just as any good sister would. You can't think of a single time that you two were at a party together and she hadn't tricked you into drinking 2 pints of water before you've left, she's crafty, but you appreciated it. She wore a floral, mid-thigh circle skirt with a tucked in spaghetti strap vest, the shade of white perfectly matching the background of the skirt. 

"Jooooshuaaaa." Chris chimed angrily. He threw his backpack onto the couch and pushed his sleeves up his arms. At that moment Josh walked out of the dining room and saw Chris, genuine fear taking over his face.  
"Shit!" Josh panicked as he started to sprint towards the staircase to the basement, laughing with adrenaline as he went. Chris quickly pursued, he was slower than Josh but didn't give up as he chased him down into the depths of the basement, yelling curses at Josh whilst he ran. 

Everyone else was a little confused until it clicked that Chris had clocked onto Josh's prank on him and Ash, everyone that was except the girl herself who walked in smiling humbly yet confused.  
"What was that?" She asked Hannah with a soft chuckle in her voice. She shook her head and smiled.  
"Don't ask." 

 

**4:22pm**

Hannah had taken Ashley to her room whilst Josh and Chris still hadn't resurfaced from the basement. You'd figured Josh got Chris lost in the maze of corridors and was looking for him. You were in the main room of the lodge, Emily and Mike were on one couch flirting, Em finding any excuse to touch him, but Mike didn't seem to mind. Beth sat on the other end of the couch on her tablet watching a film, whilst you and Hannah sat on the next couch along reading your books. 

Chris quickly ran up the stairs from the basement and ran into the room. He seemed pretty out of breath and a thin layer of sweat lined his forehead and the area under his eyes.  
"Did Josh come back up here?" He asked, walking over to his backpack.  
"Nope." Mike replied.  
"He'll be fine," Hannah comforted,  
"He knows this place better than any of us." Chris suddenly started to look around as if something was wrong.  
"Where's Ash?" He asked, concerned, more so than he was with Josh.  
"She's gone to her room, why? Are you hoping to join her?" Emily teased. Chris smirked.  
"Har har..." He turned to you.  
"Come with me (Y/N), you have some explaining to do..." You were confused but complied, you stood up and walked over to the staircase all whilst Mike taunted you.  
"Ooooooooo, you're in trouble, naughty (girl/boy/naughty)...." You huffed, unamused, as Em laughed with Mike, you and Chris started walking up the staircase together. 

"So," he began,  
"Which one of you guys tricked me and Ash?" You didn't want to give anything away.  
"I haven't a clue of what you speak of, kind Sir!" You said sweetly, an innocent smile masking your face.  
"Well well, brave traveller, I have reason to disbelieve you. But if you pull something like that again then I'll," he leant in close to your ear and whispered,  
"Tell Josh that little secret you told me at Mike's the other week..." You were confused. You couldn't remember anything from Mike's; you, Beth, Josh, and Jess played drinking games for the first few hours, then the rest was a blur. Sure you'd heard stories but you had no idea what Chris meant.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You knoooow..."  
"I really don't."  
"Josh is so cute! Josh is so dreamy! Look at his eyes oh my gosh I could just die! I'm so jealous of you and Josh, you're just too cut-!" He mocked, batting his eyelashes rapidly and pretending to flick his hair. Your eyes widened and you elbowed his side to shut him up. 

_Shit._

How could you have gotten so drunk that you'd tell Chris for christs sake, he was such a blabber mouth!  
"I did not say that." You said sternly. Chris had a wicked grin.  
"Okay, maybe I added that last part, but the rest were actual, unaltered quotes from the one and only (Y/FullN)."  
"I didn't even tell Josh to give you the wrong time! It was Em's idea." You defended, you really didn't want Josh to know about what you'd said. Chris looked surprised and quickly recovered.  
"Well, at least now you know not to mess with me." Chris said, furrowing his brows and lowering his voice in an attempt to sound tough. He stopped and started to flex his arms and growl. You rolled your eyes and smiled at what a dork this guy was. You tickled his sides and he immediately jerked back as you began to laugh at him.  
"Come on, you dweeb, did it help at least?" He shrugged in a casual manner.  
"You know I'm already as smooth as Morgan Freeman's voice, I don't need any extra assistance."

You had arrived at his room and he opened the door, then he turned back to you.  
"Just remember, the payback guns are loaded, and you and Josh are about to get shot." He said and he shaped one of his hands like a gun and pretended to cock it. He then started to walk backwards into the room as he aimed the "gun" at your head.  
"Ban-!" He started, before tripping up on his own shoelaces and tumbling backwards to the ground with a thump.  
"Smooth... Nice shootin', Tex." You commented in a Texan accent, an amused grin on your face.  
"Th-thanks..." He said, a little embarrassed, a little in pain. He sat up on the floor and rubbed the back of his head.  
"See ya later, Mr Freeman." You said with a wink and you closed the door. He grumbled something under his breath at you but you couldn't hear. 

 

**4:31pm**

You had just returned downstairs where everyone but Chris and Ashley were when Josh came up from the basement. He had things in his hands but you couldn't quite make them out.  
"Beth, Han!" he called,  
"Look what I found!" He came around the corner and was holding a baseball bat, a mitt, and a ball, grinning like a mad man.  
"Just like we used to play with Mom and Dad! Who's down for a game?" He asked, looking around the room excitedly. They were unresponsive at best, Emily pulled a face that let him know he wasn't getting any participation from her. His face dropped and he began to pout, he dropped the gear on one of the couches and stood in front of everyone.  
"Awh come on guys, for me? 5 against 5! It'll be fun!" He tried to convince, this clearly meant a lot to him, he really wanted to play. He began to pick on people in the hopes that'd work.  
"You'll play right, Matt?" He asked with a grin.  
"Big bad jock like you couldn't resist an excuse to do some physical exercise right?"  
"I guess..." He said politely yet unconvinced. Josh frowned and rolled his eyes, resorting to bribery.  
"Winners get to pick two bottles from the cellar." Without hesitation Mike stood up and jogged next to Josh, swinging his arm around Josh's shoulder.  
"What a great idea, Buddy! I would _love_ a game of baseball right now." He beamed. You walked to the end of the stairs and smiled.  
"I'll play." You said, not because of the booze of course, but because you really wanted an excuse to spend time with Josh and maybe kick Mike's ass. Josh looked over and shot you that soft, lazy half-smile of his. You melted a little every time he did that. 

Eventually Mike had convinced everyone, including Chris and Ash who had recently joined you all, to play (qualities and skills of the Class President and all that). All except Emily.  
"Come on, Em-" Josh pleaded.  
"No." She said surely,  
"This dress is Ma-" she began.  
"Just change!" Josh cut her off. A look of realisation struck his face and he smiled smugly.  
"Or... You can be ref?" He said proudly, the idea just coming to him then. Emily stopped for a moment to think about it when Mike held out his hand to her.  
"Come on Em, be ref." He said, trying to convince her with his winning smile. She rolled her eyes and took his hand begrudgingly before standing up.  
"Fine." She had given in and you guys were finally ready to start. 

Josh had asked Hannah and Beth to be team captains and Beth was just about to pick.  
"Matt." She said without hesitation.  
"Mike!" Hannah retaliated. It was common knowledge that she liked Mike, just like Chris with Ash. The difference was that Mike had never actually shown interest in Hannah at all, he kinda thought of her as 'Josh's weird little sister' as he had told you once. You frowned remembering that, poor Hannah. 

"Sam." Beth chose with a smile, they high-fived as she walked past to stand behind Beth.  
"Josh." Hannah picked.  
"Jess." Jessica had done a couple more sports than you back in the day, she had told you about being on cheer squad since middle school as well as doing some gymnastics as a child, so you understood why she was picked before you. You turned to Hannah's current team to see Josh whispering to Hannah, she rolled her eyes but he looked at her as if to say "Do it, I'm your brother."  
"(Y/N)." She said, shooting a concerned look at Mike. You walked over and stood next to Josh who put his arm around you and growled in your ear.  
"We're gonna kick ass." He winked at you with a smile that made you need to look away for a second to compose yourself. Beth then chose Ashley and Hannah chose Chris, they knew Chris wouldn't want Ash being last, even if it meant sacrificing himself for her. 

"So who's batting first?" Ashley asked. The group looked over to Em for guidance. She quickly picked up the bat and walked over in between the two teams. She smiled and explained to Jess in a hushed tone.  
"I saw this in High School Musical 2, afterwards Chad and Ryan swapped clothes." Jess winked knowingly and nudged Ash forward.  
"Chris." Emily said, calling him forward and holding the bat out between them.  
"Whosever hand reaches the top first gets to decide what their team is doing." Chris and Ash looked nervously at each other before Ash gave in and placed her hand around the bottom of the bat with a warm smile. Chris followed suit and put his hand directly above so that their hands were touching. This continued right the way up the bat until Chris had reached the top. He smirked, proud that he had won something, that was until Ashley placed her hand right on the small rounded face at the top of the bat. She grinned and took it from him.  
"We'll bat first." Beth said, eyeing the competition. She was sure that they had got this.  
"Knock 'em dead, (Y/N)." Josh encouraged, the rest of your friends already making their way outside, he had placed a hand on your shoulder as a show of support.  
"You're gonna do great!" He said. He took his hand away from your shoulder and slapped you on your butt. You jumped forward, you had no idea what had just happened. You turned around to face him as you held your ass.  
"What the hell, Josh?!" You asked him in a confused and slightly angry tone, however he just laughed and held his hands up defensively in front of him.  
"Just getting into the team spirit, Buddy! That's what all the best players do with their team mates. I'd be honoured if anything that you were worthy of this hand on that ass." He said with a cheeky grin as he pointed at his own hand and then your butt. He knew he had gotten away with it. You smirked at this new opportunity.  
"Well maybe I'll reward you like that for all your good efforts during the game." You flirted. He quickly shot up, feet together, one hand behind his back and the other saluting from his forehead.  
"(Sir/Ma'am), yes (Sir/Ma'am)! I won't let you down!" He saluted, his face completely straight as if he were a real soldier. You saluted back and pointed towards the door to the garden.  
"Hop to it, Maggot!" You ordered. You were enjoying this little bit of alone time with Josh until Chris craned his head around the door. 

"Quit flirting you two and get a move on!" He said impatiently. Josh just smiled and walked over to Chris putting his arms around his neck.  
"Are you jealous, Cochise? Do you want a kiss?" Josh teased. He closed his eyes and puckered his lips as much as he could and tried to push Chris' head towards his. Chris ducked under his arms and pushed him back with a smile.  
"Cut it out, Man! This isn't Brokeback Mountain! Come to my room later though and I'll make you feel as warm as Jack was in Ennis' arms." Chris said slapping Josh's butt. He over dramatically leapt forward holding his butt with both hands. You laughed at the lovers and began to follow them both outside. 

Josh turned his head to you and smiled with his eyes wide as if to imply that his actions earlier were completely normal and justifiable after what Chris just did. You shook your head with a grin and he rolled his eyes jokingly, turning back to Chris who had been talking at him for a minute despite the fact that other things were on Joshua's mind. 

The game was already set up outside, everyone in their places except for you, Chris, and Josh. You saw Matt standing with the bat ready to take his turn.  
"Come on!" He whined impatiently, happy that he was finally getting a chance to impress a certain someone.  
"Let's play ball!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! So I don't know how well I've portrayed Josh and Chris as individuals in this chapter, so any feedback on how I could improve them would be greatly appreciated! Or if you think they're fine then reassurance would be nice too. Cheers lads!


	3. 1 Strike and You're Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a young English lass I unfortunately have a VERY limited knowledge on baseball and so made that bit as short as possible to try and reduce the amount of inaccuracies I write. Sorry! Otherwise I would've had a lot more fun with it. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it!

**5:29pm**

Everybody had just returned outside and got back into position. In the excitement of things no one had realised that they were woefully unprepared for a game of baseball, Chris had returned to the basement to find more mitts with Ash, whilst Josh was still wearing sandals and went to change into more appropriate shoes. 

You were guarding second base, your team having to make do with the lack of players on each side. Josh was pitching for your team and Sam was first to bat. Josh threw the ball, thought clearly not well enough as Sam managed to hit it first try. Thankfully not very far, it landed close to Hannah's feet and she quickly picked it up before throwing it back to Josh, Sam had only made it to first base before she had to stop. Next up was Matt, he looked over to check if Emily was looking, he smiled when he saw she was and prepared himself for the ball. The rest of you spread out across the field, knowing that Matt would hit the ball pretty far. Unfortunately for you he'd hit the ball far into your turf, putting all the pressure on you to strike him out early. You sprinted for the ball your mitt in the air.  
"Mine! I got it! I got it!" You yelled. The ball began to drop down from the sky right above you, you were certain you had it, holding up your mitt to catch it.  
"(Y/N)! Watch out!" You heard Matt call as he ran past second base. You turned to look at him, trying to find out what he was talking about, but it was already to late. You hadn't realised quickly enough that you had misjudged the position of the ball before it hit you square on the head, knocking you to the ground. You were out cold. 

 

**5:38pm**

You found yourself in Sam's arms as you woke up, surrounded by the other's concerned faces.  
"Thank god you're okay, oh my god." Jess admitted relieved, holding her hand over her heart.  
"Yeah, dying would've really put a damper on the whole trip." Chris joked. You laughed and sat up, Sam supporting you, concerned about your injury.  
"How selfish of me." You replied. You touched the area of impact and winced at the tender pain.  
"Ouch. Shit..." You said.  
"You defo need a time out." Ashley said holding out her hand to help you up.  
"Good idea." You agreed, taking it and pulling yourself up with Sam's aid. Matt quickly swung his arm around you.  
"I'll take you up to you room, I owe you as much. I'm really sorry." He apologised.  
"More my fault." You admitted embarrassingly.  
"Be back in a minute, guys." Matt said as he started to walk you back over to the lodge. You turned back to look at Josh who could only offer a concerned look and an empathetic smile. You had truly made a fool of yourself this time. 

 

**5:51pm**

You were laying in your bed, the throbbing in your head from the impact was beginning to fade, yet as a compromise a bruise started to darken and discolour your skin. The ice pack that you had been holding to it no longer had any effect on the pain so you put it down on one of the tables next to the bed. You were disappointed that you had essentially ruined the game for yourself so early (even if it was like 30% Matt's fault), and you longed to go back out and help your team, but you knew that Hannah and Ashley would _never_ let you come back to play; for the rest of the day at least. 

You were just about to pick up your book when you were startled slightly by a knock at the door. Matt had been very apologetic for the entire duration of him escorting you to your room after the incident, so you figured it was him. Happy to have some company you smiled and called out.  
"Come in!" The door was pushed open gently, before he slowly tiptoed into the room.

Before _Mike_ slowly tiptoed into the room. 

You were confused to say the least, he was definitely one of the last people you expected to see. You cautiously swung your legs over the side of the bed so that you sat on the edge.  
"Hey..." He said softly, a sympathetic smile masking his face. He closed the door behind him carefully and leaned on the edge of the wardrobe closest to it.  
"Hi?" You replied in a clearly confused tone of voice. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked at the bruise on your face.  
"Ouchies. How's your booboo? Looks painful." He asked. He was doing it again. You really didn't appreciate when he resorted to humour like this.  
"Mike, what are you doing?" You asked bluntly, yet your voice was soft and had tones of pity.  
"Sorry," he said, knowing that this wasn't a situation in which jokes would be appropriate,  
"I just wanted to talk to you. Privately. I thought this would be a good time since everyone else is preoccupied and what not." You were curious now more so than angry.  
"About what?"  
"Do you mind?" He asked pointing to the space on the bed next to where you sat. You shook your head and he planted himself closely next to you, his right arm supporting him on the bed as he turned his body slightly to face you better.  
"I-I have a lot to say. And it'll make everything a boat load easier if you just let me say what I gotta say and then y-"  
"Go on." You interrupted, you wanted him to get to the point. He cleared his throat.  
"Look, I've wanted to apologise about how things went between us and how things ended. I know it wasn't awful but it's been kinda playing on me that it was maybe kind of a dick move to lead you on like that since I knew what you thought we were gonna be."  
He stopped and rubbed the back of his neck. You knew this was rough on him, he never opens up like this, makes himself vulnerable. For him this was like him handing you a dagger and lying on his back. You knew he had more to say and you gave him time until he was ready to start speaking again.  
"But the main thing I had to say," he was looking intently into your eyes now and you returned the gesture.  
"Is that I... I wanted to ask you for another shot. I fucked up big time and I've really missed you." His hand made his way to your lower thigh. You knew this wasn't a sexual gesture for Mike, he was trying to show that he would take this more seriously.  
"The times we had, (Y/N), they were great and I just wanted to try again. Be better to you and everything. I know where I went wrong and I'm willing to try and take things to where you wanted them to go." He smiled at you hopefully. 

You sat there silent for a moment. You really had no idea what to say. Yes you liked Josh, but admittedly you were a tiny bit intrigued by this, you kinda missed Mike as well. Although he wasn't what you wanted, he was fun, he was good to you. You felt safe when you were together. Then you remembered everything from the first moment you saw him this trip. You pushed his hand from your leg and frowned at him.  
"Emily."  
"What?"  
"What about Emily, Michael?" He bit his bottom lip, he knew that when you called him Michael that you were upset.  
"I don't understand?" You were beginning to get angry now, why was he sneaking around the concept of him and Emily.  
"You two have been flirting all fucking day, Michael! If you really felt like this then why were you two all over each other today?" You snapped at him. _God, I must sound like a bitch_ you thought to yourself.  
"If this is a prank, Michael, I'm gonna kill you!" You snarled as you stood up, looking around you for potential hidden cameras. He had a tendency to go too far with pranks sometimes, he could find it hard to take other people's feelings into consideration when planning them. 

He took your wrist in his hand and looked you in the eyes.  
"(Y/N). Sit down. It's not a prank." He spoke in a soft, calm voice. His tone reassured you, you trusted him. You returned to your seat and took a deep breath.  
"I'm sorry about Em. I think she has a little crush on me, she's been flirting with me a lot recently. Sure I've been flirting back but I'm Michael Munroe. I flirt with people." He was right, it wasn't uncommon for him to playfully flirt with his friends.  
"It meant nothing." He admitted, cupping the side of your face with his free hand. Your emotions were mixed and you were certainly confused on what you wanted to do right now. 

But you trusted him.

You nodded and looked at him.  
"I understand, Mike." He smiled, noticing that you had called him Mike once more.  
"Give me another chance." He wasn't asking, he was demanding. He knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it. You laughed quietly to yourself at how crazy this whole situation was, Mike laughed too mistaking yours for affirmation of his demands.  
"I don't know yet, Mike. Give me time to think." You finally stated. He stopped laughing but a soft, genuine smile remained on his face for this had given him hope. 

Unexpectedly he leaned in closing his eyes, he parted his lips slightly expecting you to do the same. Surprisingly you did, in the moment it just felt right to go along with this. His lips made contact with yours and he held you in a sweet, innocent kiss. You felt sensations rush back to you, ones that you had felt the first time Mike had kissed you. It was during a fireworks display on the 4th of July, it was before you two dated but not long before. The display had just started and Chris and Ash were away getting cotton candy, Mike had his arm around you so that you wouldn't lose him in the crowd of people surrounding you both, filling the field you stood in. You remembered saying something about how beautiful it was, and him telling you that he was looking at something a lot more beautiful before leaning in for the kiss. It was the sincere kisses from Mike you enjoyed best, ones without ulterior motives, ones just for the sake of being close to each other. 

He held it for a couple seconds before kissing you again. It was at that moment that you saw the door to your room open before Josh entered already in mid conversation with you. You must've blocked him out when he knocked, distracted by other things. You pulled away from Mike, your lips making a not-so-subtle sound as they parted, and you both caught a glance at him. 

He looked distraught. He had stopped talking now and was instead trying to piece together what was happening in front of him, looking back and forth, from you to Mike until it finally clicked. In his hand was a bottle of red wine from his cellar and two glasses, and in his other hand was a bag of Belgian chocolates. Quickly he smiled, not wanting to give away his true feelings, yet his eyes betrayed him, they showed the utter disappointment that this scene had caused him. He was gutted. 

"Hey." He said half heartedly. He looked over to you.  
"I just brought you up a couple things, to-" he stopped himself to clear his throat.  
"To make you feel better you know?" He placed everything on the chest at the foot of your bed before quickly re-picking up the extra wine glass and holding it behind his back shamefully in the hopes that you hadn't seen.  
"Josh." Mike said, standing up. Josh quickly shook his head and forced a smile.  
"No no no no. I don't mean to interrupt whatever... _this_ is." He replied abruptly, gesturing back and forth between you two with his free hand pointing.  
"I'll just head back outside. It's err, it's nice you've made up, I'll see you crazy kids later." He said with a chuckle, one that you both knew was fake. He then looked you in the eyes and smiled somewhat sincerely, at least compared to whatever he was doing beforehand.  
"Feel better, (Y/N)." Was the final thing he said before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. You and Mike stood and sat in shock. There was a period of silence before Mike finally spoke. 

"Jesus fucking Christ with a cherry on top, this is bad." He began pacing back and forth, not knowing what to do. Neither of you did, quite frankly you had no idea on what had been going on since Mike entered the room.  
"I- err..." You contributed, confused only slightly by Mikes response to the situation.  
"He really likes you, (Y/N), he kept telling me about how this might be his shot with you. Fuckity fuck nuggets, I didn't know he'd walk in!"  
You furrowed your brows.  
"What?" You asked, standing up. Mike placed his hands on your shoulders and looked you in the eyes.  
"I had to let you know before he did, I couldn't have forgiven myself if I hadn-"  
"No the first thing." You cut him off. In the moment you had forgotten about your feelings for Josh, and this news excited you. Mike took his hands away from you and turned, shaking his head.  
"He really likes you, didn't you know that?" He looked over his shoulder to you. You shook your head, a whirlwind of emotions clouding your thoughts. Mike stood up straight and started walking towards the door.  
"I'm going after him, I'll see you later."  
"Mike!" You called in a feeble attempt to stop him, yet he was already gone.

You sat down, trying to comprehend everything that had just happened, the whole ordeal making your bump ache and sting. Firstly, you couldn't believe everything that had just happened with Mike, you didn't even know how you truly felt about him just yet, since being around him can really distract you from thinking logically about things. Sure he promised change, but you found yourself asking whether he could actually go through with it. You thought you may be starting to like him again, but definitely not as much as you liked Josh. 

_Oh, Josh._

Thinking about him made your heart flutter, yet this time these butterflies were met by guilt that hit them like a pile of bricks. Not only had you probably blown it with him after your "exchange" with Mike, but now that you knew he actually liked you, the guilt hit you much harder. Sure, you buzzed with excitement at the thought that your feelings weren't unrequited, you hadn't even suspected it from Josh, it definitely made you feel less weird about your feelings for him, but it also made it a lot more painful since you knew exactly how he must've been feeling just then. 

You sat down and put your head in your hands, careful not to touch your wound, and scrunched your eyes in thought. 

You had no idea what the fuck you were going to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda wrote the whole section with Mike and Josh all at once so I'm sorry if it's kinda shitty? I should probably take more time writing this stuff but we know I'm not gonna do that. Yikes.


	4. Childish Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We play the Until Dawn fan fiction favourite of 'Truth or Dare spin the bottle' in this chapter. Other things happen too, it's quite a short chapter I suppose but the next chapter's gonna be more fun, so I'm gonna have more fun writing it and will probably be back to normal chapter size. Also apologies for the lateness of the chapter! This was less fun to write and I've been busy with exams and holidays and stuff, but I'm back in action. Enjoy!

**6:23pm**

You had finally made up your mind to go and find Mike and Josh, maybe seeing them together could help you decide on who was right for you. You were walking down the grand staircase into the living area where you saw the rest of your friends.   
"Why aren't you playing baseball?" You asked openly to anyone that would answer.   
"Can't _really_ play with just 7 people, (Y/N). We could barely play with 10." Sam answered. You hadn't realised that Josh and Mike weren't with everyone.   
"Where's Josh? Did he not come down here?" You questioned everyone. Some shook their heads, others replied verbally.   
"Nope."   
"Not seen him."   
"Didn't he go to find you?"   
"I've not seen Mike either..." Emily pointed out. You joined your friends, most of whom were sat down, and thought about where the two boys could be.   
"Hannah suggested we should watch a film instead, try baseball again another day." Beth informed. It seemed that most of the gang had agreed that this was a good idea and had narrowed down the film choices to 3.   
"We have to watch _Cabin in the Woods_." Chris said sharply.   
"It would be offensive to the gods if we don't." Most people didn't like that idea, most not even finding the film entertaining anyway. Only Chris and Ashley seemed to be in favour of that choice.   
"(Y/N), since Mike and Josh are lost, and Emily's not watching anything, you can be the deciding vote. _The Dark Knight_ or _Monsters University_." Hannah said. The pressure was on.   
"Shit... Err, I don't know, Dark Knight?" You replied, not really caring, all you cared about was finding Josh and Mike.   
"I'm gonna look for my boys, I'll bring them to the cinema room once I find them. Just start without us." Chris announced before walking off into the kitchen. A part of you wanted to join him but you thought that maybe it was good for you to spend time with the others, after all this trip was a great opportunity to strengthen bonds with some of your other friends. 

Emily had gone upstairs to Skype her sister, and the rest of you walked as a group down to the cinema room; you had began to chat with Ashley.   
"How's your noggin'?" She asked, raising one of her eyebrows as she look at your bruise. You shrugged and smiled.   
"Don't think there's any permanent brain damage. So I'm sure I'll live." You winked at her and she smiled, happy knowing you were okay.   
"So, Ash?" You began, changing the subject.   
"How're you and Chris getting along?" Her face flushed. She hated when people asked her about Chris, you knew this of course but a little teasing never hurt her.   
"Just dandy." She said, trying to sound sincere.   
"How about you and Josh, (Y/N)?" She retaliated with a teasing grin. Suddenly she covered her mouth with her hand, in shock at what she had just said.   
"How did you...?" You trailed off.   
"Oh for fucks sake, Chris!" You complained, throwing your hands into the air.   
"I'm sorry!" She squeaked.   
"I didn't mean that! Chris didn't say anything!"   
"Psh! Sure! When I see him I'm gonna kick his ass..." You growled. Ashley quickly pulled you to the side, just before you two had begun your decent to the basement.   
"Please don't tell him I said that!" She urgently whispered. She grabbed your hand with both of hers and she began to pout, giving you her signature puppy dog eyes.   
"Pleaaaseee! (Y/N), he honestly didn't want to tell, I was bugging him about who people liked and it just slipped out! He'll get angry with me and you know how weird he gets when he's angry!" You did know. Chris wasn't very good at being angry, he didn't really know how to act, so when he tried to he was always a bit weird. You sighed.   
"Fine. But no word of this to anyone else, got it?" She squeezed you and smiled.   
"Cross my heart!" She said and she traced an 'X' across the centre of her chest.   
"Come on then, Ash." You said as you begin to walk down the steps. You put on the lowest, gruffest voice you could muster.   
"The cinema room needs me." Ashley laughed.   
"Okay, Batman, move it." She said poking your back to try and make you speed up. 

You walked into the room and everyone had already sat down. Matt sat at the front with Beth, Hannah, and a seat for Mike; and behind was Ashley, a seat for Chris, and someone else occupying the next seat. You looked over as you sat down on the seat next to the mystery man to see Josh. He must've came down here after being up in your room, he looked pretty bummed, his elbow was on the armrest and he had propped up his head using his fist. You sat down and your heart sunk, knowing how incredibly awkward this was going to be. You didn't have the guts to talk to him, you smiled in his direction but his eyes were glued to the screen. Now that you looked at them they looked kinda red, but maybe it was just the light from the film. Jess sat down next to you, oblivious to your situation, and nudged you gently. You leaned in to hear what she had to say.   
"Maybe if you get sleepy, Josh'll let you put your head on his lap... Then later you could give him hea-"   
"Thank you!" You interrupted, whispering harshly into her ear.   
"But I'm sure you'll do just fine as a pillow." You said, trying to discontinue the inappropriate conversation. You rested your head on her shoulder and she tilted her head so that it rested on your own. Her pigtail tickled the side of your cheek and you both giggled and sat back up.   
"Maybe you're not that great." You admitted before being interrupted by a long 'Shhh' coming from the seat to your left. You looked to see Josh glaring at the two of you with his index finger pressed against his soft, inviting lips. You looked at him in a way that would try to convey confusion. He rolled his eyes and looked back at the film. _Who spat in his coffee? Jheez..._ You and Jess proceeded to watch the rest of the film in silence, so as to appease King Josh. 

 

**9:03pm**

The movie had finished and everyone started to stand up from their seats, buzzing with chatter about the film you had just seen. Chris had found Mike after half an hour of searching the massive lodge and they had joined you all soon after being reunited. Jess stood up and leaned back, cracks ran up her spine and she turned to the rest of the room.   
"Who's up for a few drinking games to get the night going?" She said, hoping that she could help Mike break into the contents of one of his bags. Everyone nodded happily and began their separate ventures to the kitchen or their rooms to get what they had brought. 

Josh stood up, he didn't like to show himself upset, or in a bad place in front of lots of people, he'd always put on a happy face when he could. The difference was you, Chris, and Sam all knew when he was faking it.   
"I'm gonna hit the cellar, anyone have a preference on wine?"   
"As long as it's red I'm sure that Emily will be fine with it." Jess informed with a smile.   
"And if you have any champagne I'd love a glass." Sam put out, purely hoping that Josh would humour her.   
"Anything to match that bubbly personality of yours eh, Sam?" He winked.   
"Yeah yeah get a move on."   
"A bottle of white for Han and I. You know the one we like." Beth requested.   
"I'll come with." Chris said quickly. Josh frowned.   
"I got this, Bro."   
"I'll just be some sweet company then. Now come on, don't leave the ladies waiting." Chris teased. Josh's eyes instinctively flicked to you, then back to Chris.   
"Lead the way, Cochise." Josh said with a smile. The two left the room, leaving the rest of you all stood in the still quite dark cinema.   
"(Y/N)." Mike said after a couple seconds silence.   
"Give me a hand with my bag?" He asked with a curious raised eyebrow. Mike wasn't the only one with that look on his face; the rest of your friends, all of which had no idea about the interactions you both had earlier today, gave each other puzzles looks, confused about whether you two had made up.   
"Err-" you started, not sure on what you wanted to do.   
"I'm sure Hannah will help, I'm gonna help Sam." Mike frowned, he looked over to a beaming Hannah and smiled politely.   
"Alrighty then, Hannah, come show off those big muscles your so famous for." He winked at her, knowing it would send her off, she giggled quietly and the two left.   
When they were gone Beth came up to you and slapped you on the arm.   
"Don't get her hopes up! Jheez, (Y/N)!" She complained, half serious, half not. You laughed and rubbed your arm.   
"Ow, damn, sorry. Better her than me?" You said, raising the pitch of your voice and hoping to justify your actions.   
"Debatable. Let's go guys." Beth instructed, walking out of the room. 

 

**9:17pm**

Everyone had returned to the main room with their chosen drinks. Emily and Jess shared a bottle of red wine, whilst the twins shared white. Matt and Mike both had a couple bottles of beer each, and Chris only had two cans of cider ("so as not to waste them" he claimed, but you all knew he just didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Ashley so early on in the vacation). You had the teen classic of vodka and Coke, yet Ashley had a more gentle choice of peach schnapps and lemonade. As per her request, Josh had gotten Sam a bottle of Champagne, but he had something stronger. He said that it was also Coke and vodka, but the ratios seemed very off, more like brown tinted vodka if anything. 

"We figured that the easiest thing to play to get pissed to is Never Have I Ever." Beth told everyone. You were all sat in a circle on the floor, between the couches and the fire place.   
"I'll go first!" Jess announced.  
"Never have I ever... kissed someone! And no Chris, family doesn't count." She added, not even having to look at Chris who was slowly taking the can away from his face. Everyone drank except for Hannah and Chris.   
"Woah woah woah woah! Who've you kissed?" Chris asked Ashley, surprised that he didn't know this prior to the night. She smirked and tapped her nose with her finger, stifling a snicker from you and Sam. Beth was up next.   
"Never have I ever received a blow job." She happily admitted. Mike thrust his bottle into the air and looked over to Matt.   
"Woo! Chin chin Matt!" He said before they clinked their bottles together and drank. Chris frowned, unhappy that he hadn't drunk yet, fortunately for him he was next.   
"Never have I ever dated someone." He said slyly, knowing he'd be able to drink, and showing off the fact that he wasn't a total loser in front of his friends. Everyone drank again except for Hannah, who didn't seem to mind that she wasn't drinking yet. Emily rolled her eyes at Chris.   
"Chris that doesn't make you sound any less dorky. How could you not even kiss the person you dated?" She asked. Chris blushed.   
"It was a long distance thing, okay?" He admitted. You remembered his girlfriend, she was from Liverpool in England; whenever you joined in on their Skype calls you always found yourself having to strain to understand her accent, Chris always seemed to get her though. They were very cute and lasted for about a year before Chris started having feelings for Ashley, whom he had only met shortly before the break up. 

Ashley was next.   
"Never have I ever... Snuck out the house." Mike, Matt, Beth, Josh, and Ashley all took drinks. It's not like the rest of you didn't go out at night, it's just that your parents would let you.   
You were next, you wanted to get Jess drunk tonight so you aimed one at her.   
"Never have I ever done it outside." You said with a sick smile. The group knowingly turned to Jessica, awaiting her reaction.   
"Very subtle, (Y/N)..." She said before taking a drink. She wasn't the only one however, Emily also drank. You looked over to Matt who seemed very confused by this and slightly uncomfortable.   
"Well I don't know about you guys but I can dig a dirty girl." Mike said casually to break the silence, winking at the two ladies, Emily tried to push him playfully but her own strength got the better of her and Mike hit his back on the couch with a harsh thump.   
"Damn, Em..." He said rubbing his back with his free hand.   
"Sorry." She apologised, sipping her wine shamefully. 

Sam was next, acting as a barrier between you and Mike.   
"Never have I ever gotten a tattoo." She said. She smiled at Hannah, knowing that this would allow her to drink and maybe help Mike to notice it. Hannah and Matt both drunk. Hannah had a butterfly on her arm from a few months earlier, and Matt had had his tattoo since he was 16. His mother had died when he was very young and his father had worked overseas for most of his life as a naval officer. He mainly lived with his Aunt and his Grandma, going back and forth between the homes for a lot of his life. When he was 16 his father died on the job and he went with Jessica to get a tattoo of remembrance for his father. He had messaged you _a lot_ that year. 

Mike took the wheel next.   
"Never have I ever owned a car." He said. All the Washingtons drank (obviously), as well as Mike, Emily, Jess, and Chris.   
"Never have I ever... given a hand job." Emily said before taking a sip of her wine. You, Emily, Jess, and Beth all drank. Beth had made sure Josh wasn't looking before taking a sneaky sip (which he wasn't since he was frowning at you).   
"Never have I ever gone to one of Matt's games." Matt said. As the supportive friends you were, you all took a drink, stifling a small smile from Matt. Josh got a refill on his drink, this time without Coke. Mike had noticed this and wanted to say something, but he knew it wouldn't bode well

"Never have I ever..." Hannah started, unsure on how to finish her sentence.   
"Never have I ever been sick from drinking." She said, knowing she could happily sit this one out. You and Jess both drank, unsurprisingly, as well as Josh and Chris who were known for passing out. Sam and Beth also drunk. 

There was one person left who hasn't gone. Josh sighed and held up his glass.   
"Never have I ever had a broken heart." He said before drinking the rest of his vodka, he winced afterwards and shook his head as the liquid burnt his throat. Everyone drank.   
"Kinda heavy there, Josh..." Matt said, acknowledging the tension. The drink had gotten to Josh and he looked away from the circle, coming to terms with what had just happened. He was disappointed that he had lowered his guard like that in front of his friends, his family, you.   
"S-sorry..." He apologised, his voice was gruff, more so than usual.   
"It's just, this is getting kinda boring. We all already know everything about each other." Everyone quietly agreed, the majority of this information wasn't new.   
"We could play something else." You suggested. Josh looked over to you, surprised that you were talking to him, then to Mike, then the floor.   
"Sounds good." He replied.  
Matt picked up one of his empty bottles and shook the remaining drops beer into his mouth before placing it in the middle of the floor.   
"Truth or dare?" He suggested. Everyone decided that this was a fun alternative.   
"I'll spin first." Emily said, loving to embarrass her friends. She spun the bottle and it's slowly came to a halt between Chris and Beth.   
"That's Chris." Beth said, moving away from the bottle slightly. Neither wanted to feel Emily's wrath.   
"What?! No way! That was all you!" He defended, turning the bottle to face Beth.   
"Be a man, Chris. Truth or dare?" Emily asked. Chris groaned, possibilities of truths and dares that could be said ran through his mind. Eventually he had come to a decision.   
"Truth." He said. He knew it would be about Ashley, he was open about everything else, but at least this way he wouldn't have to physically do anything to make her uncomfortable.   
"Who do you like?" She asked without hesitation. Josh made a farting noise with his tongue and Emily turned to him.   
"That's boring. Ask him something that we don't all know." He said, trying to spare Chris the embarrassment, Ashley's cheeks were turning red. Emily rolled her eyes and huffed.   
"Fine. Erm... Who do you like least in this room?" She asked. Heads turned to Chris, everyone hoping that they wouldn't be the answer, also intrigued as to see who it was.   
"Awh, come on, Em. That's a pretty shitty question."  
"You gotta do it." She insisted, taking a sip of her wine. Chris frowned and scanned the faces of the circle, deciding on who he would pick.   
"I guess... (Y/N)." He said winking at you, everyone knew he was lying.   
"It's called truth for a reason, Chris." Emily spat. Chris shrugged.   
"Honest to God, I can't stand (Y/N)." He said, seeming as genuine as he could. He began to spin the bottle to avoid truthfully answering the question, you knew it would've been Matt or Jess, but neither of them would've taken it very well. The neck pointed right at you.   
"Truth or dare?" Chris asked you.   
"Dare." You answered bravely.   
"Okay..." Chris said, stroking a fake beard that grew from his chin.   
"You have to chug the drink of the next person the bottle lands on." You looked at all the drinks people had anxiously, you didn't like wine all that much, or beer. You were hoping it would land on Ash or Chris. Chris spun the bottle until it slowly stopped, pointing straight at Josh. You cringed at the sight of the full glass that he was holding.   
"Damn, Josh. Is that straight?" Sam asked. Josh looked at the glass shamefully then outstretched his arm towards you.   
"Yeah... Sorry, (Y/N), I know you wouldn't pick me- I, my drink, in a hundred years." He apologised. You took the glass from his hand and looked down at it. It wasn't a large glass yet the amount of spirit inside was daunting. You looked over to Chris who was sniggering at the task you had to complete.   
"If I vomit Chris has to clean it up." You said before throwing back your head and with it the glass of vodka. It stung your throat as it made its way down into your digestive system, every section of flesh it touched was on fire and you began to feel sick. It only took about 4 seconds for you to finish but it felt like a minute. You slammed the glass to the floor and shook your head with displeasure and the sensations you were feeling in your mouth and neck. Everyone was laughing, you even thought you saw Josh smile. 

Once you had recovered you slid the empty glass across the floor in Josh's direction, he seemed more perky now.   
"Thanks for that one, Josh. Maybe try some Coke with that next time." A small smile crept onto his face.   
"Yeah." He offered. The game continued, sometimes being put on hiatus for quick discussions, rather arguments, but eventually the night wore on and the games spirit began to go with it. 

 

**10:07pm**

The game was almost at an end, most people were pretty pissed, excluding Chris and Ashley. At the time Mike was stood in the centre of the circle with Matt's shirt tied around the top of his head (due to a previous dare) with the bottle in his hands.   
"Listen up, Ladies and Gentlemen! This shall be the final spin of the night! Then we are done with this horrible fucking game! Agreed?" He really knew how to rally a crowd. Every cheered and hooted, holding their glasses high above their head.   
"Excellent." He said before he began to spin as fast as his could, it wasn't long before he tripped on his own feet and fell to the ground. The bottle in his hands pointed to Jessica, whom was sat on her knees, she giggled at the tumble Mike has taken. He looked up at her and grinned playfully.   
"So Jessica, what'll it be? Truth or dare?" Jessica smirked and leant in close to Mike's face.   
"Dare." Mike once again rose to his feet and threw his hands into the air.   
"We have a dare, boys and girls!"  
Mike spun carelessly to face Jess and pointed at her.   
"I dare you to go skinny dipping in the lake." The group hooted and cheered at the dare.  
"I dare everyone to go skinny dipping!" Mike yelled. The groups cheering died a little.   
"Well I accept this dare, Mr Munroe." Jess said, sticking out a hand to him for help up. He grabbed her hand and pulled back with his full weight, managing to successfully, though not gracefully, bring Jessica to her feet without falling himself.   
"I'm game." Matt said.   
"Half way there already." He admitted, itching his bare chest.   
"Count me out." Ashley said, wanting to get the idea of her naked out of people's minds as fast as possible.   
"I think I'll pass too." Chris said self consciously.   
"Damn, Chris, are you not lake body ready?" Mike asked playfully, lifting the bottom of his shirt slightly to show off his well earned abs. He winked at Chris, the boy huffed in return.   
"I've seen your junk too many times, Mike. Anymore and Josh'll start getting jealous." He joked. Josh started laughing and stumbled to his feet, using the couch as an aid.   
"I'm totally down for getting n-naked in a freezing lake." Josh grinned. Jessica grimaced and turned to you.   
"Yikes. (Y/N), you better come to protect me from these sacks of raging hormones." She asked of you. Smiling and caught in the moment you jumped to your feet.   
"Of course, anything for you, my dear." You said, sliding your arm around her waist. Emily began to protest.   
"No way am I getting in a freezing, dirty, lake without clothes on. I could get an infection or something!"   
"Wouldn't be the first time." Josh teased. Emily's jaw dropped.   
"Josh!" She tried to defend.   
"Come on, Emily. It's really not as unhy-genie-ic as you think. Plus, like, nothing lives in there that'll cause inf- infesh... Infection." Josh slurred.   
"Leave her alone." Mike protested. Emily smiled.   
"She's being just being a sour puss." He finished before swinging an arm each around you and Jess. Emily's smile turned to a pained frown.   
"On second thoughts, I'd love to." She said before standing up and emptying her pockets of her money and phone onto one of the nearest couches. Chris and Ashley had already escaped at this point into the cinema room to watch _Cabin in the Woods_ alone, the Twins didn't feel like skinny dipping with their drunken brother was very fun, and Sam was definitely not drunk enough to do it. 

Adrenaline and alcohol was fuelling the group, you were excited to spend this time with Mike and Josh, to figure things out. At least in this state you could all be honest with each other. Josh had livened up since you had all started to play spin the bottle, and you wanted to talk to him about what happened before the void of sleep sucked away his alcohol simulated happiness. You looked over to him, he was laughing and smiling at Emily, he even started to joke around with Mike. 

God damn it, why did they have to make things so fucking complicated and confusing?


	5. Love and Leeches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones kinda short as I wanted the next part to have its own chapter. Enjoy!

**10:17pm**

The breezes of the mountain made you shiver, you began to regret your decision to plunge naked into a freezing late whilst under the influence of alcohol, but then again you were under the influence of alcohol, so who cared? At least the view was gorgeous. 

The purple lagoon shone as the rays of the full moon trickled onto it's surface, making the light bounce off of it in delightful and enchanting ways. The area around the lake was surrounded by woods, fairy lights draping from the branches of each tree making the atmosphere a lot more magical. However, one side lay bare to the forrest and allowed anyone who swam in the lake to look across the surrounding mountains with wonder and awe as they lay in the darkness like sleeping giants. Stars littered the sky above, free from the shackles of light pollution each one was able to shine brightly down onto the Earth. It also seemed as if emeralds and rubies had be chalked across the onyx blackness as nebulae graced the heavens. 

You had stammered up to the end of the small wooden walkway that poked into the lake, sobering up slightly as you appreciated the beauty of nature.  
"God... It's so beautiful..." You admired. Quickly you were interrupted as your bubble, the one in which only you existed, was popped. Mike has slithered his hands around your waist and cuddled you from behind, his head leaning into the crook of your neck.  
"But not as beautiful as you." He flirted. You giggled at his compliment, once again reminding you of July 4th.  
"What a charmer you are. Ever think you'll come up with any new material?" You asked. Mike chuckled quietly.  
"Who needs new material when the old stuff is always so reliable?" He asked rhetorically before sneaking a quick kiss on your neck. 

"I think I'm gonna vom." Emily said, bursting the new bubble you had made with Mike.  
"Yeah, do we need to check the expiration date on your big break up?" Matt asked as he bobbed slightly, trying to fight back the cold attacking his bare torso.  
"No way." You protested before pushing Mike away from you.  
"He was trying to throw me in." You lied, Mike frowned a little at your reluctance to play along with him.  
"Who cares? Aren't we all meant to be getting naked?" Jess asked, already bored of the drama. Swiftly she removed her shirt so that she was in just her bra and shorts and threw it to the side. Matt and Mike proceeded to wolf whistle Jess, whilst Josh just laughed along.  
"Turn around, you pigs!" She demanded. The boys huffed as they all turned away from their half naked friend. Jess shimmied out of her shorts and underwear, then unclasped her bra. She took a deep breath before running down the walkway and cannon-balling into the lake, splashing water high into the sky.  
"Holy shit!" She shrieked as her head emerged from the pool of water.  
"Oh my god! It's freezing! Holy shit!" She complained. Everyone was in fits of laughter, even Emily, at Jess' discomfort.  
"Brrr! Well who's next? This'll definitely sober you idiots up." She asked impatiently.  
"As much as I like dripping wet, naked hotties, I think I'm gonna pass." Mike said, making excuses.  
"No way, Michael! You're up next! Otherwise I won't tell you where I hid your booze bag!" She yelled. Mike sighed.  
"Okay, Jessica, you've convinced me! You crafty minx..." He said as he pulled Matt's shirt from his forehead.  
"Get ready for the gun show boys and girls!" Mike pulled off his own shirt next, his body was gorgeous. He was well toned, beautiful arms, skin that seemed airbrushed.  
"Huuurrr!" He grunted and as flexed in several different poses, Emily was definitely enjoying the "gun show", whereas you just laughed at him.  
"Well if the guns are out then I suppose I better let the sun shine." He said and he wiggled out of his jeans, they got caught on his right ankle making him hop around trying to pull them off, before falling right to the floor.  
"I got 'em!" Announced a triumphant Mike who held up his jeans with pride. He stumbled to his feet once more before covering his crotch with one hand, and pulling down his boxers with the other.  
"Let's do this!" He shouted before running into the lake and awkwardly jumping in in a way so that he didn't expose his package.  
"Holy balls on fire! The water's fucking freezing!" He screamed as he rose to the surface, pushing his wet mop of hair back with his hand.  
"Oooh Mike!" Emily chimed.  
"If I jump in now you better be there to keep me warm!" She flirted as she began to unzip her dress.  
"Don't worry, I just peed so if you jump in now it'll still be warm!" He joked, or so you hoped. Jess screamed in disgust at the claim and began to swim away from Mike who was pissing himself laughing.  
"Grooooss!" She shouted as she frantically began to flick water back over to Mike.  
"Lighten up." Mike laughed. 

Matt pulled down his shorts, shame not phasing the boy at all, and threw them on top of his shirt. He slid down his boxers to reveal a very impressive surprise indeed, before sauntering to the end of the walkway and pencil diving in. It was just you, Emily, and Josh now. He was stood between you two, sipping the last of his beer and laughing along with the atmosphere of fun in the air.  
"Everyone needs to close their eyes." Emily demanded, her voice was serious and to the point. So you all complied. Once you heard a splash and opened your eyes she had joined the rest of your friends in the lake.  
"Ewww! Gross gross gross! Something touched my foot!"  
"It was probably the pira-pirahas." Josh yelled casually.  
"What?!" Emily shrieked, her voice piercing everyone's ear drums.  
"Woah! Relax! I was kidding! There's nothing in there!" Josh said, a warm chuckle coating his words. He turned to you and grinned.  
"Last one in's a smelly loser." He challenged. Adrenaline pumped through you as you began to undress as quickly as possible, not wanting to be a smelly loser. Quickly both your clothes were on the floor and you raced to the lake as you covered your respective privates. You both jumped in with a splash.  
"(Y/N) beat you man, sorry." Mike said laughing.  
"Yeah, (Y/N) so scored the point." Jess added. Josh laughed and looked to you.  
"Guess I'm a smelly loser." He said with a smile.  
"Gross." You teased, happy he was talking to you again, and flicked water at his face. This resulted in a full on splash war between the 6 of you, it was pretty brutal. 

 

 **10:35pm**

Matt and Jess had left the pool shortly after losing the splash battle, leaving the remaining four of you in each other's company. Mike and Emily had been chatting together a little further down the lake, meaning that you had to talk with Josh. Things were less awkward at this point, you were both mentally quite drunk still, even if the cold water had sobered you up physically. Josh was next to you, both of you paddling your feet to stay afloat in your spots without sinking. You looked around the lake and curiosity grew within you.  
"What's the deal with all the fairy lights?" You asked. Josh laughed a little and half-grinned at the question.  
"It's a bit of a lame story." He replied mysteriously.  
"Do tell." You pushed, turning to him curiously.  
"It was for my senior 'promposal' for some girl."  
"Who?"  
"Katie Newman." You furrowed your brow as you tried to remember Katie. Josh hadn't had tonnes of girlfriends, low enough that you would remember them all, but you didn't remember him with a Katie. Maybe Beth had mentioned her once or twice, but not Josh.  
"And...?" You asked.  
"Me and my sisters strung up a bunch of lights, I lay laterns across the lake, _'Tangled'_ style, and rowed her out to the middle."  
"Woah..." You were at a loss for words, it all sounded so beautiful, you were surprised Josh had never told you about it.  
"Wait... Didn't you go to prom with Yasmin Green?" You remembered.  
"Well, yeah. See, once I got her out here she said no. Lame right?" You were shocked, how could anyone have said no to Josh after that?  
"Why?"  
"She was here for _Hannah_... Not me. If you- if you catch my drift." He shyly admitted.  
"Well damn, she had better of appreciated all the stuff you did. That sounded so romantic and beautiful..." You admitted, a little upset for Josh.  
"I think she did, but it's whatever, Yasmin was pretty fun... Y'know what I mean?" He asked, winking at you. You laughed at him.  
"No? I know you two didn't do shit that night, you idiot." You said, Josh frowned jokingly.  
"Yeah yeah." He said, wrapping up the conversation.  
"I think we should all head back now, before the leeches get us." Josh warned you, yelling loud enough that he made sure Emily would hear.  
"Leeches?!" She screamed before frantically swimming back to shore. You and Josh laughed at Emily.  
"No but seriously, there are leeches." Josh said mid-laugh, his tone was flat and serious.  
"Oh shit, okay, let's bounce." You said, concerned, before returning to a half naked, frantically dressing, Em. 

This bonding session had made all four of you lack shame when it came to naturism, or at least in this situation. None of you covered anything as you returned to redress yourselves. You felt comfortable and safe amongst them, even Emily, no one said anything or poked fun at anyone. It was nice. You all walked back to the lodge, bathing in the silence around you. When you arrived back you all said your goodnights, hugged, and went to bed.


	6. Champaigne Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a long, eventful chapter. On the house. Enjoy! (Btw comments are my fave, just putting that one out there) <3

_11:41pm_

You had just gotten out of one of the showers at the lodge, warming up your body and making you feel more relaxed about the day you just had. You had tied a towel around yourself and started to walk back to your room, fighting the overwhelming sleepiness that the hot water had lulled you to embrace. 

Once reaching your room and closing the door you pulled the towel from you and threw it into a corner on the ground. You routed through your drawers for some comfy underwear to put on, and for some cozy clothes to sleep in. Slowly you dressed yourself, taking your time to appreciate the feel of the soft, washed fabrics against your skin. You felt warm and cozy, like you were still at home and about the get under the duvets of your own bed. With more haste you decided to dry your hair, or at least enough so that water wasn't dripping down your face and onto your clothes. 

You slid under the sheets and grabbed your phone and began to scroll through social medias, the wifi was pretty awful but it would have to do. You swiped through a few pages until you found Twitter. 

_@joshwash07_  
whole squad down at the lodge for 2 weeks! No parents, no rules, no replies (;

 _@chris2814_  
No way has @ashley_s00 just managed to beat me at MK? Has someone been giving her cheat codes?

You continued to scroll for a little while until posts you've already seen before began to fill your feed, making you stop to switch to Instagram. 

A picture was posted by Hannah of her with Josh and Beth in the car on the way to the lodge. Hannah was in the front taking the selfie as Josh drove and Beth sat in the back. All of them had huge grins on their faces, it was obvious someone had said something hilarious, most likely Josh, and Hannah had seen it as a perfect photo op. 

_@han_washington_ My favourite people ever  <3 #familygoals @washua_joshington @bettthh

You scrolled down further, past photos of celebrities you followed, other people from school, until you saw a post from Mike. You hadn't even realised you were tagged in it as you completely ignored your notifications until now. It was a picture of you and Mike sat on a log, your head resting on his should and him holding a blanket around you. Next to you was Jess and Josh, also sharing a blanket. You had been sat around a campfire and Sam had gotten up to take a picture. It was from back when you were together. 

_@mike_munroe_ #tbt to one of the best camping trips I've been on (granted that's not a lot haha), but was honestly one of the best days of my life, so happy to have such good buds :') @(Y/IG) @princess_jess14 @washua_joshington @vegan_sam

You sighed as you looked at the picture, making you think about the kiss that had taken place on the very spot you were sitting. You clicked on his profile and scrolled back through his photos, appreciating him and his witty captions. Eventually you reached a couple group photos that you were in from when you were together, reading the comments and thinking about how happy he made you then. You threw your phone onto the bed and groaned. It was going to be hard, but you had made up your mind. 

You were going to give Mike another chance. 

Sure he could be a pile of shit sometimes, but you had to trust that he could prove himself. You smiled happily at the thought of you both together again, in his arms and his life. Josh began to cross your mind; you still had feelings for him of course, but you couldn't let him cloud your judgement. You had finally made up your mind and you wanted to try and follow through with your choice as quickly as you could before your opinions could switch again. 

You were going to go and find Mike to tell him, but you wanted get champagne first, as kind of a celebration. You were sure the Washingtons wouldn't mind, the twins would definitely want you to be happy anyway. You left your room and started to head for the wine cellar to find something nice and bubbly to drink. You passed Mike's room on the way and smiled at the thought of him, excitement and nerves gave you butterflies in your tummy. As you started to go down the grand staircase you noticed Josh and Chris in the main room, and they were playing Jessica's sleep playlist. Josh was freshly washed and was only wear a pair of low waisted tracksuit pants, Chris was in a plain t-shirt and some green, tartan pyjama pants.  
"Bro, please give me the wifi password. You know I'm gonna die without any internet!" Chris begged. He was leaning on the back of the couch over Josh. Josh just keep laughing as he scrolled through Facebook.  
"Go find Ashley dude, consider it a blessing you don't have any distractions."  
"Josh, c-come on. I wanna check up on Suzie."  
"She's fine, I messaged your mom earlier and everything's cool at home."  
"Joooosh." He whined.  
"If you can do _something, anything_ with Ashley. Even holding hands, then I will give you the password."  
"You suck." Chris insulted as he half heartedly hit Josh in the face with a cushion, who just laughed as Chris walked past you. He stopped and looked at you.  
"Do you know it?" He whispered. You shook your head and smiled pitifully.  
"I can't remember it. It's just a bunch of letters and numbers." Chris sighed.  
"Ok, night night, (Y/N)." He said before giving you a hug and proceeding up the stairs.  
"Night, Chris." You whispered. You got to the bottom and passed Josh without saying anything, you figured he hadn't noticed you as the music muffled yours and Chris' conversation, and he was facing away. 

You proceeded around the corner to the basement stairs and started to descend them. You turned left into a hallway to the basement before going down another flight of stairs, and almost tripping up on a broken step, until you were in the basement. 

You didn't expect it to be as creepy as it was, it was dark and musky, dust floated through the air and filled your lungs. You looked over to see a spooky old doll house, you tried to open it but it was locked. You went to the end of the corridor, past the boiler, not really knowing where the wine was, when you found a bunch of old props from some of Mr Washington's old movies. There were outfits, and realistic weapons. You smirked cruelly at the thought of pranking your friends with these later, so you made a mental note of their location. 

Then the noise started. 

At first it sent a shiver down your spine, it was just too rhythmic and constant, it couldn't have just been the house's old age. It sounded wet, you thought it may have been the old boiler acting up. It had done that the last time you came and Mr Washington had to go down to fix it, Master Washington would have to fix it for you this time though. You sighed quietly, happy that you had strung together a weak excuse for the scary noises the basement made, but you still didn't want to spend any more time down here. You turned around and decided to check out the pathway next to the boiler, but as you turned left, you saw something so horrifying that you had to stop dead in your tracks. Your heart dropped to your stomach as you stared, it was disgusting, grotesque, you couldn't move, the mere sight of it paralysed you. 

Mike had Emily pressed up against the wall, both were wet from the showers they had taken, and was kissing her passionately. Her hands were around his neck, fingers grasping at his hair, he had one hand on her ass. You felt sick. Emily looked up and saw you, she smiled into the kisses, gleeful that she had won Mike over. Then he pulled back for air, he smiled, then saw you, and his face dropped.  
"(Y/N)!" He said in surprise. You remained still, trying to piece together what you were seeing. He stepped back from Emily and put his hands up.  
"It's not what it looks like. We-we just came down to fix the boiler, I-"  
He trailed off. Emily just crossed her arms and smirked. You opened your mouth but no words came out, you didn't know what to say, so you shook your head. Mike started to walk over to you, but like a hurt puppy you began to back away with every step he took.  
"Fuck you..." You squeaked, it was all your could muster.  
"(Y/N), hear me out..." He started. You felt tears begin to well up in your eyes, the liquid blurred your vision and you had to blink clear it, sending tear drops to roll down your face.  
"Oh shit, please... Don't cry..." He asked of you. But you had had enough, you turned and began to run. You heard Mike coming after you and you began to run quicker. You swiftly avoided the broken step and swung the door open, continuing into the hallway. You heard a thud behind you.  
"Fuck me!" Mike cried out in pain. You would've smiled at him tripping up, had your pain not made you start to blubber as you cried.  
"Shit..." He grumbled as he got up and began to run after you again. 

You had made it up the basement stairs, but just as Josh was coming out of the kitchen. He grabbed you as you tried to run past, his gentle hands on your shoulders.  
"W-wo-wo-wo-wo-woah woah! Hey!" He tried to get your attention and calm you down. He stared deep into your eyes, noticing you were crying, your eyes were puffy and red.  
"Woah, what's wrong? Did you see a monster or something?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood. You shook your head, trying to pull away from his grip, but he wouldn't let go. Instead he pulled you into a hug, and stroked your hair.  
"What happened?" He asked. It was at this moment that Mike ran up the stairs and stopped in front of you and Josh. He placed his hand on your shoulder.  
"(Y/N), I'm sorry, hear me ou-" he started.  
"Mike, what the fuck happened?" Josh asked, sliding his hand up to your shoulder knock away Mike's hand hand.  
"Look, I really think this is something me and (Y/N) should handle ourselves..." He said. You continued to cry onto Josh's chest, just listening to their conversation.  
"Did you do something?" Josh asked, his tone accusing.  
"Yeah, but-"  
"What did you do?" Josh asked. He pulled you off of him and moved you to the side before walked over to Mike.  
"I didn't-"  
"He was making out with Emily..." You mumbled. Josh turned back to Mike, his face full of hurt.  
"What?" He asked. You looked up to see Ashley and Chris leaning over the bannister on the second floor, watching the conflict.  
"Okay, yeah. I was. But it didn't mean shit! I swear-" Mike was cut off by Josh pushing him hard in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards.  
"What's your problem? Why do feel the need to string along so many girls at once, what pleasure does it bring you? Jesus, Mike, you're such an enormous asshole!"  
"Hey, woah... Josh, buddy..." Mike said, trying to diffuse the situation.  
"No, Mike! Why would you kiss them both in the same night? That's such a dick move, like a _huge_ dick move! They're both so great, aren't you happy with just one? You just had to fuck about with both of them?" Sam, Jess, and Beth had now joined Chris and Ashley, they all seemed a little surprised at the news that you had kissed Mike.  
"Josh, come on... Let me just talk to (Y/N) alone..." He begged, glancing at you for support, but you just continued to sob quietly. Josh started to shake his head and ball his fists.  
"No! God! You piss me off so much! You're such a whore!" At this point Chris had started to run down the stairs and call Josh's name, he knew the warning signs but he wasn't quick enough. Josh turned and raised a fist, before quickly throwing a jab right into Mike's nose with a crack. Mike cried out in pain, it was definitely broken.  
"Fuck, Josh!" He screamed, his voice warped and nasaly, like he had a cold. You started to panic about the scene you had caused, and back towards the front door. Chris had pulled back Josh and the rest of your friends began to run down the stairs towards the three. In the moment it seemed like the right thing to do, the only way you could escape. You swung open the door and began to run out into the darkness, no shoes, no coat, nothing. The last thing you heard was one of the girls asking where you had gone, but not even you knew.


	7. The Shed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short but more to come, enjoy!

**11:57pm**

Your run had turned to a pathetic jog as your feet stung with every step you took. Every tiny stone would jab at your bare flesh, along with the biting cold. You had regretted the decision as soon as you were outside, but you were too embarrassed to go back. 

You ran to a nearby tree and leant against the trunk, heaving breaths through heavy lungs as you thought about where to go, somewhere warm and safe. The lodge was out of the question for sure, at least for a little while. You knew there was a guest cabin somewhere, but it was too dangerous to go exploring the woods at night. Then you remembered a shed, pretty close to the lodge, that the Washingtons never really locked. It was just full of old junk, but last time you came Mrs Washington had tried to get you into doing some woodwork there, making little totems and such, so you knew roughly where it was. You took a deep breath and began walking. 

 

**12:04am**

You were sat in the shed, it was the same as it was all those years ago, but now dust has blanketed everything. Tools, old boxes, workbenches, all shoved into the small room you were sat in. It made you feel claustrophobic. Hooks and creepy birdcages dangled from the ceiling, clinking as the wind bumped them into each other. There was another room adjacent to where you were hunched on the floor, but to your surprise the door was locked. You sat there and cried for a while, not really paying attention to anything else around you, instead you wallowed in the burning maelstrom of your own self-pity, and criticised your naivety when it came to the bullshit ways of Michael Munroe. 

 

**12:09am**

Not much time had passed when you began to hear a voice outside.  
"(Y/N)!" They called. Again and again. There was only one person, you knew that, but they were too far away to make out voices. Eventually the voice grew louder and louder, until you could recognise it's owner. 

Josh. 

The door swung open and there he was, stood in the doorway in a dark blue windbreaker and his trackies.  
"(Y/N)?!" He yelled, his voice laced with concern and fear.  
"Please tell me you're in here, bud..." He hoped.  
"Josh-" You cracked, your voice was croaky, your throat was sore from sobbing. As soon as he saw you, he ran over to you and knelt onto the floor next to you, pulling you into a warm embrace.  
"Holy shit! I'm so glad you're okay! We had no idea what we would've done if you'd gone missing... Jesus you're cold." He noticed as he gently rubbed you're upper arm. He shimmied out of his coat and draped it around your shoulders to try and keep you warm.  
"I'm sorry... For running..." You apologised, you felt really guilty about worrying your friends like that, it hadn't even crossed your mind really.  
"I guess don't blame you. I mean, running away was kinda dumb, but suppose it's not a great time for me to criticise you." Josh said. He looked down to your feet, they were cut up and bleeding.  
"Shit, (Y/N)... We need to get you back and patch you up. Your cuts could get infected or something." He advised with a frown.  
"Are you the only one that came looking for me?"  
"No." He reassured.  
"Mike stayed in to... To clean up. Emily was still in the basement when I left. Jess and Ash went to check out the lake, Matt and Hannah went down to the cabin, Sam headed to the cable cart, and Beth and Chris are searching the woods." He explained. You said nothing for a little while, you both just sat in the comfortable silence that you knew so well. 

"I'm sorry about Mike." Josh said finally.  
"Me too..." You replied.  
"If it makes you feel any better, his face is pretty fucked up now, so no one will want to go near him for a while." He joked, trying to cheer you up, but you didn't laugh.  
"I don't know why I trusted him again. I just- he's such an ass..."  
"He absolutely is. You're too good a person, it just sucks that it can get you hurt sometimes." You rubbed your temples and groaned at your situation.  
"I'm beginning to wish I hadn't downed your vodka, maybe I would've been in a better state of mind to see him for the scum bag he actually is." You reflected, Josh frowned and rested his head on yours.  
"Sorry about that. To be perfectly honest, I'm still a bit wavy. I think I'll stick to less strong stuff in the future." It was silent again before Josh let out a sigh and climbed to his feet, using a workbench to help pull himself up. He outstretched an open hand to you, blood was smeared across his knuckles.  
"Come on." He encouraged. Reluctantly you took his hand, really not wanting to go back, and you pulled yourself to your feet, but before you had even started to move you felt yourself well up again. 

"Awh man," he said, pulling you into a cuddle, your face resting on his chest.  
"Come on, don't cry..." He asked of you, but you couldn't help but weep at how pathetic you had been.  
"Everyone thinks I'm an idiot." You said, self-pity getting the better of you. To your surprise, Josh laughed a little.  
"Trust me, the only person people think is an idiot right now is Mike."  
You grumbled, unconvinced.  
"Don't worry, you won't even have to see him for a few weeks. Sam's gonna take him to A&E and then he's going back home. We can use the rest of the holiday to cheer you up, kiddo." He kissed your forehead and you pulled your head from his body to smile in affirmation at him. He smiled his crooked smile back and wiped away one of your tears with his thumb.  
"We really need to go." He said, his voice was more stern now but a sympathetic smile still played at his lips. 

You were just about to leave, hand in hand with one of your best friends, when you thought about everything you could do in this moment, but only one thing kept creeping back into your mind.  
"Josh." You sniffed and cleared your throat.  
"Mike told me something earlier..." Josh stopped just before you had both left the shed. He turned around and you could see a scowl masking his, otherwise gentle, face.  
"What did the bastard do to you now?" He asked.  
"No... Not to me." You said, trying to muster up the courage to confront Josh.  
"What?" He asked, confused.  
"Mike... He-he told me that you two had been speaking an-"  
"Mike didn't lead me on, don't worry, I'm way outta his league anyway." He joked, eager to move on.  
"Joshua." There you went again, using full names. His smile straightened out as he waited to listen to what you had to say.  
"He said that you, y'know? Liked me." You awkwardly admitted. Josh's grip loosened and he let go of your hand. 

_Fuck._


	8. The Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and crap, just how I like it ;)

**12:11am**

"What?" Josh asked sharply, his brows furrowed. You considered the possibility that perhaps you'd made a mistake, Mike probably lied to you, you were making a fool out of yourself.  
"Mike-he, he said tha-" You stuttered.  
"I heard you." He replied, he crossed his arms consciously over his half naked body and frowned, looking at his feet.  
"Guy's a fucking asshole..." He mumbled to himself.  
"Josh, look-" You tried once again, but Josh's burst interrupted you. 

"Yes! Fine!" He said throwing his arms into the air in defeat.  
"I like you! I like you a lot! I like you like Chris likes Ashley! There, I said it! Worst part is, even after everything that's happened today, I'm still into you! Your smile, your laugh, your face, your body, your personality, your humor, everything! You're just- you're just perfect! Too good for a piece of shit like me okay?! Fuck!" 

You were speechless. 

Josh had poured his heart out to you, you wanted to smile at everything he had said about you, every feeling that you shared, but his aggressive tone made you think that this isn't how his reveal had played out in his head. You remembered the things he had brought you after your baseball accident, the hopeless romantic probably wanted to blow you away, and there you went, taking it from him.  
"I need to sit down." Josh said, pulling you out of your dream-like state.  
"Huh?"  
"Just-just go! I need to sit down!" He shouted. He slid onto the floor and put his head in his hands. You had seen this version of Josh too many times, you instantly knew that he was having another attack.  
"Josh." You said softly, crouching to his level.  
"(Y/N), fuck off!" He demanded. You swallowed, knowing that you'd have to deny his wishes if you wanted to help him.  
"Josh..." You placed a hand on his.  
"I feel the exact same way... You haven't embarrassed yourself..." Instinctively he pulled his hand back, but once what you said had processed, he looked back up at you in disbelief.  
"What?"  
"I've liked you for a long time, Josh... All that stuff with Mike it was, it was fucked up. He messed with my head, played with my emotions, lied to me. I know that maybe you can't forgive that, but I wanted to let you know that you're not on your own here, I think you're fucking swell." You said, taking your hand to his cheek. The corner of his mouth twitched a little into a half smile, only lasting half a second.  
"You need to 7/11 breathe, let's just take a minute, okay?" You sat down next to him, your head resting on his shoulder and thumb gently rubbing his upper arm as you held it.  
"Okay, just gimme a minute..." He replied. You both sat in silence. 

 

**12:19am**

Neither of you had spoken for a while, just the sound of the wind whistling through gaps in the shed and the cages on the ceiling clanging together. You could hear his heart, feel his breath, it was as it should be: paced and calm.  
"You ready?" You asked him. He hummed back a noise that meant 'yes' and you looked up at him. 

You saw that he was still nervous. His loving and frantic, green eyes trying to look at anything but you. His tongue poked out of his mouth just enough to moisten his lips, biting his lower one gently as his tongue returned.  
"What do we do now?" You asked him.  
"I don't know." He replied honestly. You were always a bit more academic than Josh, but he was really great at solving problems, probably from all those video games he played.  
"Do you wanna go back to the lodge and figure it out there?"  
"No." He replied quickly.  
"No... Everyone'll just get in the way, it's probably better to just do it now, whilst we're alone." He climbed to his feet and started to pace slowly around the workshop, stopping to look back at you, then returning to his thoughts. He stopped again. 

"So you like me? And I like you? We mutually like each other? And neither of us are secretly married?" He asked you, or perhaps rhetorically.  
"Yeah." You replied, a smile creeping onto the corners of your mouth. He nodded and began walking again. He stopped.  
"An-and you and Mike kissed just after the baseball game?" Your mouth straightened.  
"Mmhm..."  
"Okay." He walked over to you, and for the second time he outstretched his bloodied hand. You took it curiously before being pulled harshly to your feet, making you fall into Josh. He took you by the shoulders and pushed you away from him slightly, only enough so that he could get a look at your face. The warm smile, the crooked, beautiful smile, that Josh wore so well had returned to his perfect face.  
"I just didn't want you to kiss Mike and I on the same day." He reassured. Your face flushed red as he placed his hand on your cheek, and his other on your waist. He closed his eyes and started to pull you closer. 

_Josh_ was pulling _you_ closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about it being a while, I've been studying all through December because I had this mad 5 days where I had like 16 exams (not an exaggeration) and I had to kinda focus on that. Then Christmas and New Years and all, but here I am. I'll get round to the next chapter soon dw


End file.
